A Personal Investment: The Franchisee-FSR Relationship, Part II

Last fall, we chatted with new Franchisee Roberto Montero about the guidance and support he received from his Franchise Sales Representative (FSR) during the process of opening his first 7-Eleven franchise. Because 7-Eleven is committed to the success of our Franchisees, each new Franchisee works with an FSR every step of the way. This time, we spoke with Roberto’s FSR, Alvino Rosales. Read on to learn about his dedication to preparing new Franchisees for entrepreneurship.

Alvino's background

Alvino has been with 7-Eleven since 2012. His career included six months of in-store training, followed by another six months running his own store. Alvino then became a Field Consultant (FC) and spent his time overseeing his own territory. After four years, he received an opportunity to become an FSR. For the past two years, he has been an FSR and provides in-store assistance on sales, inventory and other operational aspects.

Cultivating a connection

The FSRs who mentored Alvino taught him that forming strong relationships with Franchisees is job one. His goal is for Franchisees to “feel comfortable and confident enough to take that leap into entrepreneurship.” He’s passionate about maintaining connections with Franchisees, so that even “when they’re in their operation, they still feel comfortable reaching out to [their FSR].”

While Roberto may not have had any previous c-store experience, Alvino could tell that he did have a very strong background in business ownership and leadership. He describes Roberto as someone with “a lot of interests” who will “reach out and help anyone he possibly can.” Alvino mentioned that in the process of introducing Roberto to the industry, they built a great relationship along the way. We didn’t even have to ask if they still keep in touch. He told us that he recently got to see pictures from Roberto’s trip to Peru! Recently, they’ve also been discussing the possibility of Roberto getting a second store.

Final Thoughts

When asked what advice he’d give someone interested in becoming a Franchisee, Alvino recommended they “do their homework … go out there and look at stores … don’t be afraid to go out and talk to other Franchisees, and work with your FSR.” In addition to support, he believes that 7-Eleven consistently ranks highly as a franchisor because of the investment in areas such as IT, loss prevention, merchandising and marketing. He feels that the gross profit split shows that everyone in the organization is aligned with the goal of making every Franchisee successful. He summarizes it this way: “I want Franchisees to know that, as an FSR, we want to see you succeed.”

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